Use communication channels, both radio and telephone, for
transmitting official information only.
Operators are
strictly prohibited from using these facilities for personal
conversations.
Use only authorized codes.
Locally devised systems can easily
be broken by the enemy.
Make transmissions as brief as possible.
Never mention rank when transmitting messages.
Don't use actual names.
Use prescribed phonetic alphabet.
Use prowords to limit transmission time.
Don't use the same authentication twice.
When in doubt, make other operators authenticate.
Don't underestimate
the
enemy's
ability
to
monitor
your
transmissions.
VEHICLE MAINTENANCE AND RECOVERY
Maintaining convoy vehicles is no small matter. Too many breakdowns
will disrupt the entire convoy operation.
When a truck has a
mechanical failure in an area infested by insurgents, the truck and
its cargo may have to be destroyed. Refer to the extract of FM 55-
30,
which
shows
the
procedures
that
are
used
to
destroy
nonrecoverable vehicles (see Appendix B, page 152).
Even when
repairs can be made on the spot or the truck can be towed, some
elements of the column will be delayed.
This increases their
exposure to ambushes, snipers, or terrorist attacks.
Each driver performs maintenance on the road.
For example, the
driver is responsible for performing preventive maintenance at halts
such as changing tires, tightening bolts, and cleaning.
The driver
must also report maintenance problems to his squad or platoon leader
so that the problem can be reported to maintenance personnel.
If
repairs are beyond the driver's capability, maintenance personnel in
the trail element will take care of the problem.
You can determine the size of the trail party and the number of
recovery vehicles needed by the convoy's size and by the convoy
personnel's experience. Normally, you would assign recovery vehicles
to each march element of the convoy. You should
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